Preview — The Anubis Gates
by Tim Powers

The Anubis Gates

Brendan Doyle, a specialist in the work of the early-nineteenth century poet William Ashbless, reluctantly accepts an invitation from a millionaire to act as a guide to time-travelling tourists. But while attending a lecture given by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1810, he becomes marooned in Regency London, where dark and dangerous forces know about the gates in time. CaughtBrendan Doyle, a specialist in the work of the early-nineteenth century poet William Ashbless, reluctantly accepts an invitation from a millionaire to act as a guide to time-travelling tourists. But while attending a lecture given by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1810, he becomes marooned in Regency London, where dark and dangerous forces know about the gates in time. Caught up in the intrigue between rival bands of beggars, pursued by Egyptian sorcerers, befriended by Coleridge, Doyle somehow survives. And learns more about the mysterious Ashbless than he could ever have imagined possible.

A roller-coaster ride through a world teeming with characters ranging from the grotesque to the fiendish: tremendous fun - City Limits

An adventure novel... an impressively intricate time-travel conundrum... a supernatural thriller... a literary mystery... a horror story... a catastrophe of necromancy and ruin... virtuoso performance, a display of marvellous fireworks that illuminates everything in flashes - Times Literary Supplement

Community Reviews

More time travel than steampunk, although it has been categorized as the latter, Tim Powers' The Anubis Gates is fun, but it leaves one feeling a little short changed.

The problem is that Powers' story has the narrative scope of Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, but it is packed into a mere 380-ish pages. Beggar's guilds, Egyptian wizards, Romantic poets, business magnates, and prize fighters mix with cross dressing vengeance seekers, mad clowns, body snatchers, fire elementals and gypsies. Time sMore time travel than steampunk, although it has been categorized as the latter, Tim Powers' The Anubis Gates is fun, but it leaves one feeling a little short changed.

The problem is that Powers' story has the narrative scope of Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, but it is packed into a mere 380-ish pages. Beggar's guilds, Egyptian wizards, Romantic poets, business magnates, and prize fighters mix with cross dressing vengeance seekers, mad clowns, body snatchers, fire elementals and gypsies. Time slips from 1983 to 1810 to 1660-something and back to 1811, seemingly following a linear path of cause and effect, then spilling paradoxically into a strange whirlpool motion where effect can be cause before effect.

And all of this is tremendously effective.

It generates curiosity, makes one read at high speed, fills the imagination with wonder and provides great entertainment, but it is not enough.

There are huge gaps in the tale, like Brendan Doyle's/William Ashbless' time in Egypt, where the story jumps too quickly, leaving the promise of more adventure -- sweeping adventure, epic adventure -- unfulfilled.

Powers creates characters so compelling, even his supporting characters, that one finds oneself wanting more, but the more never comes. We spend a tantalizing amount of time with Horrabin, the puppeteer-clown-beggar master, but it is never enough. We barely get to know Powers' versions of Lord Byron and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and then they are gone. There is simply never enough of these characters, and it leaves one feeling cheated.

So in case you haven't already guessed, the great failing of The Anubis Gates is that it leaves the reader wanting more -- too much more. Occasionally that feeling can be healthy, but in this case it is mostly frustrating. Had Powers reduced the scale of The Anubis Gates, or increased the size of his story to match the scale, it could very well have been his masterpiece. But without serious alterations, The Anubis Gates is little more than an entertaining sci-fantasy confection that is difficult to recommend.

But recommend it I shall, to anyone who likes time travel or creepy clowns or good, old fashioned chases. No matter how frustrating The Anubis Gates is, it is never boring nor a waste of time....more

RobertBrad wrote: "The last book of Stephenson's I really enjoyed was Cryptonomicon, but even that sprawled over the sheets like a Sherpa passed out after aBrad wrote: "The last book of Stephenson's I really enjoyed was Cryptonomicon, but even that sprawled over the sheets like a Sherpa passed out after a bar binge."

True of me, too, in terms of chronological order of publication - though it was actually the first I read.

The unsung Zodiac is his best and shortest book, in my view; and I think the two are linked....more
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Aug 27, 2012 09:20AM

Leo WalshWow. I preferred this book to the Baroque Cycle by a wide margin. In fact, I barely finished the first book of the Baroque. Stephenson gives much backWow. I preferred this book to the Baroque Cycle by a wide margin. In fact, I barely finished the first book of the Baroque. Stephenson gives much back-story, which reads like copy and pasted Wikipedia material In the end, this obscures his main action. Stephenson even does this in books of his that I enjoyed -- "Snowcrash," for instance.

Powers, as you indicated, creates vibrant characters and terse action. He accomplishes this through editing. He removes excess, both actions and words, and all but eliminates adverbs -- tricks which Stephenson needs to learn. Because Powers edits to bring a reader's focus to their story. Stephenson's style, on the other hand, obscures. He has great ideas, but fails in execution....more
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Jun 20, 2013 06:37PM

A fairly common mistake made by authors is failing to be familiar with their genre. They end up retreading old ground and relying on long-dead cliches because they aren't aware of what's already been done. So, it behooves an author to get some familiarity with the genre he intends to work in, to ensure that he isn't just writing the same old story over again.

In that spirit, I thought I'd check out this award-winning early piece of Steampunk. It was a rough start. One of the first red flags in anA fairly common mistake made by authors is failing to be familiar with their genre. They end up retreading old ground and relying on long-dead cliches because they aren't aware of what's already been done. So, it behooves an author to get some familiarity with the genre he intends to work in, to ensure that he isn't just writing the same old story over again.

In that spirit, I thought I'd check out this award-winning early piece of Steampunk. It was a rough start. One of the first red flags in an author's prose is how often they use 'almost', 'seemed' or worst of all 'almost seemed' in their descriptions and metaphors. Such words are meaningless filler, and are usually a sign that the author is not comfortable with his own figurative language, or is trying to seem mysterious without really knowing how to do it.

We're barely a page in before Powers gives us 'a musty fetor . . . almost shockingly incongruous when carried on the clean breezes of Hampstead Heath'. Almost shockingly incongruous, but not actually shockingly incongruous. But, if it isn't actually shockingly incongruous, why not tell us what it really is like? Why use a phrase that almost describes the situation, but not quite? What is the benefit to this imprecision?

Of course, in most cases, it is just 'shockingly incongruous', and the 'almost' just happened to slip in there for no reason at all.

From there we move on to the conflicted metaphors:

"His cloak flapping behind him in the wind like the wing-case of some gigantic insect"

'Like some' is another meaningless phrase to look out for in figurative language. It's meant to sound mysterious, but really, it's just filler. Beyond that, to anyone actually familiar with insect wing-cases, this metaphor just doesn't make sense, because wing cases are rigid and held out steadily from the body during flight. They don't flap. In the case of the scarab, which I assume Powers is trying to evoke here in his Egyptian magic story, they're also shiny.

Also, why does it have to be a 'gigantic' insect? Because he's a person, and people are bigger than insects? Figurative language already has that covered. If you say 'his gaze darted about like a viper's', you don't have to continue 'but a viper with hair, and external ears, and lacking scales, and also much larger than a normal one, and with limbs and no tail, and without the capacity for natural poison'. There's a reason that explaining a metaphor that way is often done as a joke--it's simply not necessary.

Here's another one:

"[The tent] looked, thought Fikee, like some huge nun in a particularly cold-weather habit, crouched beside the river in obscure devotion."

Can you picture that? Does that produce a clear and effective image in your mind, or a rather confused muddle? For me, it was definitely muddle. These two metaphors appear on the same page, along with another one about a smile being 'like a section of hillside falling away to expose old white stone', which isn't so bad, but that's a lot of trying-too-hard similes to cram on just one page.

Next page.

"Romany intoned, his voice becoming deeper as though trying to wring an echo out of the surrounding carpets"

'As though' is another vague little bit we want to be careful about when we write. I don't think the verb 'wring' works there at all. Are you imagine someone twisting carpets (with their voice) in order to try to squeeze some extra echoes out of them, because that's what this description paints into my mind, and it is not remotely working.

A few pages on, and we break suddenly into a long stretch of story exposition straight from the narrator about all this stuff that happened before, to set up the story. So, why start off with a mysterious intro where your characters are mumbling odd references to events, if you're going to explain them all a few pages later? That's a pretty quick way to kill all the mystery you had just been trying to build up.

Then, the characters themselves start delivering long pieces of story exposition to one another, even though they all know these things already!

"I'm sure you haven't forgotten how you suffered after playing with the weather at the Bay of Aboukeer three years ago."

BethI see what you are saying. I am loving this book so far and wish I had read your review AFTER I finished. I know the filler words are going to irritatI see what you are saying. I am loving this book so far and wish I had read your review AFTER I finished. I know the filler words are going to irritate me now. I do think the story exciting and I am having trouble putting it down....more
Jun 22, 2014 08:49AM

MuzzyGreat review, thanks for steering me away from this book. Could you recommend an alternative in this genre by an author with a stronger prose style? IGreat review, thanks for steering me away from this book. Could you recommend an alternative in this genre by an author with a stronger prose style? I'd like to read more fantasy, but the prose turns me off....more
Feb 17, 2015 03:36PM

My main feeling during the book was that it was weird. Not bad weird, not necessarily good weird, just a bit odd. I found it took a while to get into, I was never bored, but I also wasn't really all that interested for a large portion of the beginning of this one. Then it started to pick up and I found I really started to enjoy things once we met Jacky and that lot.

There were a lot of interesting ideas, strange characters and weird happenings in this novel. I enjoyed it, but I'm sure I don't unMy main feeling during the book was that it was weird. Not bad weird, not necessarily good weird, just a bit odd. I found it took a while to get into, I was never bored, but I also wasn't really all that interested for a large portion of the beginning of this one. Then it started to pick up and I found I really started to enjoy things once we met Jacky and that lot.

There were a lot of interesting ideas, strange characters and weird happenings in this novel. I enjoyed it, but I'm sure I don't understand half of it. Although a few of the motivations were very clear, most really weren't. I know what they were trying to achieve but I still don't know why. I'm not sure it really matters. It was a fun read anyway. Strange, but fun.

That opening sentence lost it's short, pithy, catchphrase-like nature somewhere along the way. Mirroring the novel in that way infact.

An American Coleridge expert gets invited on a time travel adventure to hear said poet speak only to find himself trapped in the early 19th century London, aA time travel novel featuring sorcery, evil clowns, Ancient Egyptian Gods, body switching, a condensed version of Dante, literary scholars, cross dressing, fencing champions, dog-faced men and Romantic poets.

That opening sentence lost it's short, pithy, catchphrase-like nature somewhere along the way. Mirroring the novel in that way infact.

An American Coleridge expert gets invited on a time travel adventure to hear said poet speak only to find himself trapped in the early 19th century London, adventure and skulduggery ensue. There's so much plot that even Powers doesn't know what to do with it half of the time and after the first two thirds he was either forced to drastically cut whole swathes of storyline or he really liked the idea of a nonstop series of action sequences which repeatedly puts the protagonist in peril with very little linkage between each one.

Prior to this point it was an exciting adventure story, peopled by intriguing characters and entertaining passages of action, if not quite fully evoking the time and place at least giving enough detail to make certain that you're not in 1980s America, the time travel element is dealt with very well and isn't foregrounded to the extent that you're always aware of it and puzzling over it but really this should have been multiple books or at the very least a 900 page novel.

I found myself sucked in to the story by Powers way with words, more reminiscent of the golden period of science fiction than contemporary fantasy novelists and what starts as a pretty typical time travel idea becomes so much more so quickly that you barely have time to draw breath. It's constructed so cleverly and entertains to thoroughly that the switch two thirds of the way through isn't the disaster it might have been in a lesser novel, yes in essence you're dragged over the finish line in a river of blood but he got you there and he entertained you en route. At no point did I even consider giving up early and going home.

All in all a great read that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone open to a time travel fantasy....more

TfitobyThanks. I have another Powers on the shelf, Last Call, he doesn't strike me as particularly exciting but instead as a good solid writer of entertainmeThanks. I have another Powers on the shelf, Last Call, he doesn't strike me as particularly exciting but instead as a good solid writer of entertainments....more
Apr 20, 2013 08:18PM

BobbiI read Last Call too, but now I don't remember if I liked it or not. It's not on my read shelf.
Apr 21, 2013 07:18PM

Ever wonder what it would be like to travel in time and be able to rewrite parts of history? In The Anubis Gates, Brendan Doyle, a professor of nineteenth-century English literature living in 1983 California, accidentally gets to try his hand at it when he is invited by a mad scientist to attend a lecture given by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1810 London. Needless to say, an accident prevents Doyle from returning to his own time (it always does in these books, doesn't it?), so he is stuck in earlyEver wonder what it would be like to travel in time and be able to rewrite parts of history? In The Anubis Gates, Brendan Doyle, a professor of nineteenth-century English literature living in 1983 California, accidentally gets to try his hand at it when he is invited by a mad scientist to attend a lecture given by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1810 London. Needless to say, an accident prevents Doyle from returning to his own time (it always does in these books, doesn't it?), so he is stuck in early-nineteenth-century London, where he gets to deal with gypsies, underground dens of beggars, an unpleasant clown, a body-shifting werewolf, a young woman disguised as a boy, a brain-washed Lord Byron, assassins, homunculi, legendary beasts, life without antibiotics and last but not least, an ancient Egyptian sorceror who seems to want something from him. What ensues is an off-the-wall tale full of outlandish conspiracies, time travel, Doppelgangers and magic, and yes, a bit of poetry. The evocation of nineteenth-century England isn't entirely convincing (there are some glaring historic and linguistic anachronisms), and the narrative gets a bit predictable at times (despite the plot being so insane), but the action is non stop, the story unfolds at a cracking pace and there are enough inventive and amusing links to actual history and literature to make even the harshest critic chuckle. In short, it's a fun read -- not perfect, but perfectly entertaining, with some interesting ideas to ponder afterwards.

I'm now wondering where *I* would go if I could travel in time......more

Jalees UrBooks have been used for centuries, and undoubtly they performed an important part in person's record. Not only books can carry us primary understandiBooks have been used for centuries, and undoubtly they performed an important part in person's record. Not only books can carry us primary understanding, such as record, geometry and other technology, but also they show us how to think individually.Sterilization of Surgical Instruments...more
May 04, 2012 09:10PM

Two and a half stars for me by the GR system; 'okay' verging on 'I liked it.' My appreciation could probably benefit from a second read. Ultimately, I can see where others liked it, but it's not executed in way I enjoyed.

In some ways, it reminds me of Connie Willis' To Say Nothing of the Dog in that while there is some time traveling, there is very little of technological surprise, and most of it takes place within Victorian England. In similar fashion to TSNotD, a historian accidentally gets leTwo and a half stars for me by the GR system; 'okay' verging on 'I liked it.' My appreciation could probably benefit from a second read. Ultimately, I can see where others liked it, but it's not executed in way I enjoyed.

In some ways, it reminds me of Connie Willis' To Say Nothing of the Dog in that while there is some time traveling, there is very little of technological surprise, and most of it takes place within Victorian England. In similar fashion to TSNotD, a historian accidentally gets left behind; in this case, he is kidnapped shortly after his time-traveling group goes to England to hear Coleridge speak.

The magic system isn't well explained, but involves some Egyptian spirit theory and some earth magic, and perhaps the most interesting developments of the book are when these devices are employed or executed. The fact that it isn't well explained, however, contributes to the choppiness of the overall story. The plot was interesting, and Powers develops a number of characters that grew on me, but the execution was rough and choppy. A body-switching spirit comes into play, and by the second half of the book, at points we only know there has been a switch by a death scene and new names coming into play. It becomes distracting and confusing to know who is important to plot and character development, as body switches and secondary characters enter and are quickly dropped. When the main character, Doyle, first escapes from his kidnappers, we quickly go through a score of characters, and neither he, nor us, apparently, are supposed to look back. Frequent references to poets like Byron and Coleridge, and the general Victorian setting--a period which I normally avoid-- and it only adds to the confusion. The initial scene probably started me out with a number of wrong assumptions, as it created some sympathy for the both the main antagonist and his boss, but it was sympathy that would never be recaptured through the course of the story. ...more

CloudsAck. I've heard good things about this, but also good to hear the flipside. I'll likely still check it out some time, but you've helped bring my epectAck. I've heard good things about this, but also good to hear the flipside. I'll likely still check it out some time, but you've helped bring my epectations down a notch ;-)...more
Aug 08, 2012 05:32AM

Carol. Well, Powers may not be for me. I'll be interested to see what you think.
Aug 08, 2012 08:06AM

Brendan Doyle is an expert on Samuel Coleridge and a contemporary of his, William Ashbless, hired by a crazy millionaire to take part in a trip through a hole in the river of time. Rich clients have paid Darrow, the millionaire, a million dollars each to travel back to a Coleridge lecture in 1805. Only something goes wrong, as it does in most time travel stories...

Powers's writing is good without having needless descriptions. His depiction of the early 1800's is really vivid. I found a few of thBrendan Doyle is an expert on Samuel Coleridge and a contemporary of his, William Ashbless, hired by a crazy millionaire to take part in a trip through a hole in the river of time. Rich clients have paid Darrow, the millionaire, a million dollars each to travel back to a Coleridge lecture in 1805. Only something goes wrong, as it does in most time travel stories...

Powers's writing is good without having needless descriptions. His depiction of the early 1800's is really vivid. I found a few of the plot twists obvious but that might be because Three Days to Never used similar themes.

The Anubis Gates is really good as far as time travel stories go and features such diverse elements as magicians, body-swapping, ape men, two competing camps of beggars, and all kinds of other craziness that seem to be Tim Powers's bread and butter.

"The Anubis Gates" is a terrific time travel fantasy. I never quite knew where the story was going or what was going to happen next. Tim Powers is one of those writers who packs meaning and significance into every scene. I found myself having to backtrack several times to see if I had missed something. In the last third of the book, there's so much body switching and name changing that I had trouble telling who was who. I really liked the challenge though, it kept me on my toes and it was unlike"The Anubis Gates" is a terrific time travel fantasy. I never quite knew where the story was going or what was going to happen next. Tim Powers is one of those writers who packs meaning and significance into every scene. I found myself having to backtrack several times to see if I had missed something. In the last third of the book, there's so much body switching and name changing that I had trouble telling who was who. I really liked the challenge though, it kept me on my toes and it was unlike anything else I've ever read....more

Lisa VeganSandi, I just added this book to my to-read list because I saw it with comments on Otis's currently reading, but your review really has me excited aboSandi, I just added this book to my to-read list because I saw it with comments on Otis's currently reading, but your review really has me excited about this book. I'm very intrigued and I think I'd really enjoy it. I'll have to try to get to it....more
Dec 01, 2008 10:26PM

JoI could never get into this book, but reading your review is making me think about giving it another try.
May 30, 2009 07:48PM

SandiJo wrote: "I could never get into this book, but reading your review is making me think about giving it another try."

Powers is really tough to read. YJo wrote: "I could never get into this book, but reading your review is making me think about giving it another try."

Powers is really tough to read. You have to to have time to be able to really focus on his work....more
May 30, 2009 08:40PM

The Good:Where do I begin? This is such a clever, epic story. Time travel, body swapping, Dickensian London, Egyptian mythology, Romantic poets, evil wizards and an exploration of fatalism - props to Tim Powers for managing to combine all this into something that wasn't absolute crap. Good story, good characters, great settings and ideas, and the ending was excellent.

The Bad:It's a complicated mess at times which might diminish one's enjoyment. Plus the book starts in 1983, so I suppose the protThe Good:Where do I begin? This is such a clever, epic story. Time travel, body swapping, Dickensian London, Egyptian mythology, Romantic poets, evil wizards and an exploration of fatalism - props to Tim Powers for managing to combine all this into something that wasn't absolute crap. Good story, good characters, great settings and ideas, and the ending was excellent.

The Bad:It's a complicated mess at times which might diminish one's enjoyment. Plus the book starts in 1983, so I suppose the protagonist had a stupid hairdo.

'Friends' character the protagonist is most like:Jessica Lockhart....more

I gave it 100 pages & really didn't care about what was going on, so I quit. It could have been interesting, I think. The problem for me was I just didn't get any feeling for any of the characters or the situation. I wanted to, felt I should, but every time I picked up the book it was a chore & I found my mind wandering.

It has an extremely convoluted plot and I had to concentrate carefully to avoid feeling confused. I couldn’t decide if I was loving it or irritated by it; I ended up feeling frustrated but found it fascinating too.

I suppose it earns 4 stars or even 5 for the author managing to put it all together at the end, and that was quite a feat, but my experience of reading it was just that I liked it, nothing more.

I think that too much happened and that there was too muchThis book was exhausting to read.

It has an extremely convoluted plot and I had to concentrate carefully to avoid feeling confused. I couldn’t decide if I was loving it or irritated by it; I ended up feeling frustrated but found it fascinating too.

I suppose it earns 4 stars or even 5 for the author managing to put it all together at the end, and that was quite a feat, but my experience of reading it was just that I liked it, nothing more.

I think that too much happened and that there was too much action. The villains were too villainous for me and that would have been okay if they’d had smaller roles and were around much less frequently. (Voldemort in the Harry Potter series is very evil but he’s around on the page very little of the time compared to Harry & his friends & other more benign characters.)

I liked only 2 characters and had a really hard time figuring out most characters’ motivations, and even when they were made clear, the whole long plot still seemed too much to me; I think this story could have been told better if it had been slightly less complex; I don’t say that often.

I was ahead of the hero on quite a few happenings but I think that was a deliberate choice on the author’s part .

The prologue was really hard for me to get through but once I got to the rest of the book I found it interesting. The last ¼ of the book I was so curious about what was going to happen that it was hard to not skim through as quickly as possible but I managed to read as carefully as I needed to read.

I appreciated the historical fiction, especially the inclusion of some romantic poets. I liked the humor, especially one extended part toward the end. The time traveling was interesting and somewhat unique, but I didn’t like much of the rest of the magic. It was all a tad too dark for me.

I’ve rarely been both so satisfied and so unsatisfied with an ending. ...more

It’s been over thirty years since Tim Powers’ The Anubis Gates was published, and the story of treachery, time travel, and long dead gods has aged well.

But then, what should I have expected? It’s Tim Powers. As I think I saw someone else mention about the author, who else could combine Egyptian mythology, Lord Byron, quantum mechanics, sorcererous clowns, and time travel? It is at times dark, other times indulgent, and occasionally syrupy with fantasy. It is, at all times, a complex mystery unfoIt’s been over thirty years since Tim Powers’ The Anubis Gates was published, and the story of treachery, time travel, and long dead gods has aged well.

But then, what should I have expected? It’s Tim Powers. As I think I saw someone else mention about the author, who else could combine Egyptian mythology, Lord Byron, quantum mechanics, sorcererous clowns, and time travel? It is at times dark, other times indulgent, and occasionally syrupy with fantasy. It is, at all times, a complex mystery unfolding.

It’s the 1980s. Brenden Doyle, an expert in the 19th century poet William Ashbless, is hired by a neurotic millionaire to provide the historical context for a lecture given by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Except the lecture is to be given in 1810, and Doyle is to deliver his pre-lecture lecture to a team of time travelers who will attend meet Coleridge in person.

Everything goes according to plan, until Doyle finds himself stranded in London, penniless, pursued by murderous cultists of ancient Egyptian gods, and unmistakably out of place in time.

Powers has a fantastic knack for writing with the kind of abandon that makes important details look like afterthoughts or excess description. It’s only later, as the plot unfolds, that what was previously thought unnecessary reveals itself as crucial to the story. It makes the opening chapters feel almost scattered and confusing, but provides later chapters with a solid foundation.

This is all the more interesting in the read because the pieces that Powers lays out for his story come from so many different directions. Part of why he’s able to do it successfully, I think, is his reliance on real historical events as mile-markers for his characters. Using real events as a template for the events of his The Anubis Gates, he then strings them between them with the fantastic and creative. The world he describes is alive, colorful and bright, helped along by vivid writing that adeptly adjusts language, accent, nomenclature, and description to match the geography and historicity of his settings.

Using history as his backdrop—especially times and places so disparate—does require some leaps, though, and as the pages pass, there were moments when I wondered if Powers would get to the point, whether he would be able to tie up all of the loose ends. I wouldn’t say the plot was dragging, but I did occasionally feel like a leap of was going to be necessary to get on with things. So much time had been spent laying the ground work, and now the leap was going to be dramatic to pick up the pacing.

Powers brings it all together in a dénouement that is both not entirely unexpected, but pleasingly surprising. He wastes no time in satisfying his reader, meeting expectations, and answering questions. If you’re looking for examples of classic science fiction—or fantasy? then The Anubis Gates is a satisfying story, strangely unfolded, but fulfilling to the end. ...more

Tim Powers' fourth novel, 1983's "The Anubis Gates," is a book that I had been meaning to read for years. Chosen for inclusion in both David Pringle's "Modern Fantasy: The Hundred Best Novels" and Jones & Newman's "Horror: 100 Best Books," as well as the recipient of the Philip K. Dick Memorial Award in 1984, the book came with plenty of good word of mouth, to say the least. And, as it turns out, all the ballyhoo back when was fully justified, as this really IS some kind of superb work. As JTim Powers' fourth novel, 1983's "The Anubis Gates," is a book that I had been meaning to read for years. Chosen for inclusion in both David Pringle's "Modern Fantasy: The Hundred Best Novels" and Jones & Newman's "Horror: 100 Best Books," as well as the recipient of the Philip K. Dick Memorial Award in 1984, the book came with plenty of good word of mouth, to say the least. And, as it turns out, all the ballyhoo back when was fully justified, as this really IS some kind of superb work. As John Clute puts it in the Jones & Newman volume, it is "a book which it is possible (rare praise) to love"; as Pringle writes, it is a "virtuoso performance." I could not agree more.

In the novel, we meet a middle-aged widower named Brendan Doyle, an expert on Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the (fictional) poet William Ashbless. Doyle is asked by an eccentric millionaire who has come up with a time travel device to journey back to London in the year 1810, to attend a Coleridge lecture with a group of wealthy chrono tourists. Doyle warily agrees and--to make things brief--gets marooned in the past, where he soon becomes enmeshed in the machinations of Egyptian wizards attempting to destroy England. Powers' way-out plot somehow manages to conflate the brainwashed "ka" of Lord Byron, a body-hopping werewolf, an underground criminal society headed by a deformed clown on stilts, a plucky young vengeance-seeking woman disguised as a man, Egyptian gods, 4" high "Spoonsize Boys," fire and wind elementals, the Mameluke slaughter of 1811, a menagerie of freaks, the Beatles (!) and on and on. And just when the reader thinks this plot could not possibly get any wilder, Powers catapults Doyle back even further, to the year 1684! Indeed, there is no way for anyone to possibly guess what is coming next, in this truly zany romp of a book. Remarkably, every single page of this nearly 400-page affair boasts some startling conversation, plot twist, description or speculation. Powers has done a huge amount of historical research, and his book always has the ring of verisimilitude, despite the outrageousness of the plot. An originator not only of the so-called "steampunk" literary genre but also of the "secret histories" style of writing, Powers, in this book, puts forth his amusing explanations for London's Great Fire of 1666, as well as Byron's apparently simultaneous presences in Greece and London in the autumn of 1810. And although stories with time travel paradoxes can sometimes leave me with a headache, I found this one absolutely delightful. Let me not mince words: This book is a blast, from its opening scene in a London gypsy camp in 1802 to its wonderful, ironic, totally satisfying conclusion in the swamps of Woolwich. Clute was right; I really DO love this book, and indeed am in awe of it. So many wild elements mixed together, such an original and imaginative story line, and the whole thing coming together so completely and perfectly...Tim Powers must be some kind of a freakin' genius! I'm gonna need more of this guy; possibly his 1979 novel "The Drawing of the Dark," which is highly praised in Cawthorn & Moorcock's "Fantasy: The 100 Best Books"....

I would like to add that "The Anubis Gates" is not an easy read for folks who (like me) choose to look up every historical reference or place name that they encounter. I found a London street map invaluable while reading this book, for example; it's not necessary, of course, but sure does make for a richer, deeper experience. Thus, I was able to spot one of two flubs that Powers is guilty of in his otherwise perfect work. At one point, he tells us that Coleman Street is east of Bishopsgate Street, whereas a quick look at the map will clearly show that it is west. Powers' other goof? When he infers on page 353 that Doyle would be attending a literary meeting at the home of renowned publisher John Murray on a Tuesday, and two pages later says it would be on a Monday. (I also find it hard to believe that the word "savvy" was being used in 1684.) Mere quibbles, of course. For all lovers of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, historical fiction and/or poetry, this book should prove a godsend. It is a very generous book, far more intelligent and humorous than it absolutely needs to be, and well deserving of all the accolades that it has received. Oh...and I just love the inclusion of that pig Latin! ...more

This was a tough one for me. I’d pick it up, read half a chapter, put it down for a few days, pick it back up --- rinse and repeat.

Obviously, this isn’t my usual reading style.

This took me about 170 pages to really sit back and go ‘whoa’ (Joey Lawrence Style). Once I hit that mark, I was fine. I felt the story was entertaining. Clever, even. I particularly enjoyed the Coleridge and Byron characters. Eventually, I warmed up to the main protagonist, Brendan Doyle, even though I had a hard time tThis was a tough one for me. I’d pick it up, read half a chapter, put it down for a few days, pick it back up --- rinse and repeat.

Obviously, this isn’t my usual reading style.

This took me about 170 pages to really sit back and go ‘whoa’ (Joey Lawrence Style). Once I hit that mark, I was fine. I felt the story was entertaining. Clever, even. I particularly enjoyed the Coleridge and Byron characters. Eventually, I warmed up to the main protagonist, Brendan Doyle, even though I had a hard time truly buying into the idea that a 20th century biographer of poets could be such a swash-buckling hero in the 17th and 19th centuries. I felt that there was little there to make me believe he could triumph over such odds. But, that’s just me.

I was a bit hazy on the whole Fikee character and the ‘body snatcher’ scenes. It didn’t ring true to me and as I can see this being an important element to the story, I was often bored by it.

Overall, I would say 3 ½ stars as I did find it really engaging when it did hook me in. I may read more Tim Powers, but I’m not in a frenzied rush to gobble him up. ...more

Tim Powers is at his best with wacked-out time travel stories, and that's precisely what this is. He basically took the entire collection of English-language literary devices and tossed them into one book. And then added some poetry. And some genderfuckery. And Ancient Egyptian myths and legends. And, also, did I mention the time travel?

So. A mild-mannered literature professor (this is, um, something of a theme character in Powers' work) goes back to the time of Lord Byron, and - look. Things hTim Powers is at his best with wacked-out time travel stories, and that's precisely what this is. He basically took the entire collection of English-language literary devices and tossed them into one book. And then added some poetry. And some genderfuckery. And Ancient Egyptian myths and legends. And, also, did I mention the time travel?

So. A mild-mannered literature professor (this is, um, something of a theme character in Powers' work) goes back to the time of Lord Byron, and - look. Things happen. I'm not going to spoil it. Suffice to say that this is the kind of book time travel fans read with joy and sorrow - joy because oh my god, so awesome, and sorrow because sooner or later the joy will be over.

The book isn't without flaws - Powers was still a fairly unseasoned writer when he produced this, and it shows. But, seriously, whenever I re-read this, I'm having too much fun to care....more

A friend loaned me this book long ago. It was his absolute most favorite book at the time. So I cracked the spine and moved right in. When I'm really into a book it becomes an extension of my left arm and tends to get in the way of meals. When I finally returned it, full of crumbs and tea stains, the cover had somehow gone missing. My friend was unhappy with me but I had thoroughly enjoyed his book. Thanks, Nathan.

Nutshell: time machine, invented for the very practical purpose of attending a 19th century poetry reading, coincidentally dicks up several unrelated conspiracies to take over the world.

Egyptian deity types conscript a pack of gypsies in order to “purge Egypt of the Moslem and Christian taints” (9). Apparently Egyptian sorcery is the engine of history, insofar as Trafalgar was caused by it (id.). Egyptians make copies of each other, “the animated duplicate, or ka” (13). Narrative revolves aroundNutshell: time machine, invented for the very practical purpose of attending a 19th century poetry reading, coincidentally dicks up several unrelated conspiracies to take over the world.

Egyptian deity types conscript a pack of gypsies in order to “purge Egypt of the Moslem and Christian taints” (9). Apparently Egyptian sorcery is the engine of history, insofar as Trafalgar was caused by it (id.). Egyptians make copies of each other, “the animated duplicate, or ka” (13). Narrative revolves around duplicate persons--not only sorcerous copies, but also body switching with non-copies and extreme body modification. All of the copying and switching and modifying proceeds without much difficulty, so very much an assumed post- or transhuman concern here, before Mieville and RSB or Morgan and Rajaniemmi. Unlike those authors, however, the transhumanism is not high technology, but rather sorcery from the ancient world. The copies, NB, are not equal and original, but rather can be recognized as “forgery” (265). (view spoiler)[Brilliant moment where narrator discusses how he will write a certain poet’s verse, “copy out his poems from memory,” i.e., of reading the already composed poems in the future, “and my copies will be set in type for magazines” (273). Narrator’s insight is that “nobody wrote [poet’s] poems” (272)—which is a tidy little derridean/bakhtinian thesis. (hide spoiler)] That said, something going on here with duplications: “it seems to me that there’s something going on the Logos, as defined by St. John, that parallels Plato’s idea of absolutes: the eternal, constant forms that material things are sort of imperfect copies of” (359).

Considering that Egyptians want to take down the British Empire, it’s hard not to get on board with their project—but they are very impolite in how they go about their anti-imperialism, which furthermore goes forward from an arriere garde jingo position, rather than a progressive cosmopolitanism. So, not cool. Also not cool that antagonists insinuate themselves into London begging gangs. One gang’s policy was to “recruit healthy people and then alter them for the trade of begging” (95). All counterbalanced, though, by ultimate antagonist being an over-ambitious top-hat, I suppose.

Sorcery apparently is bad for the constitution, as prolonged exposure (i.e., centuries) causes sorcerer to lose mass: “His time was getting damned short—he only weighed thirty pounds now […] he would lose his hold on the unnaturally maintained components of his body, and simply break down or fly to bits, long before the zero gravity point” (351). Cool thing there is the dialectical tension between being “strong enough and contra-natural enough—the two qualities were tremendously difficult to hold onto at the same time” (id.). Result sadly is that zero gravity sorcerers might slip away from the earth, “shot upward into the sky” (352). There was “some truth in the very old stories of the once inhabited moon having become, through some long-forgotten but transcendent perversity, the monument and archetype and fitfully living embodiment of desolation” (id.). Okay. That’s kinda kickass.

Midpoint reveal regarding narrator’s identity is fairly foreseeable, but still cool. Cool use of Egyptian mythology, which is sparing (Apophis shows up, say). Some great visceral horror, such as in the descriptions of the surgically altered transhumans, or with things like “the dozen or so people who were connected by their heads to this spidery unpleasantness” (249).

Recommended for those with faces unpleasantly lined as if from a long lifetime of disagreeable expressions, readers with the power to cure hyperpilosity, and persons determined to prevent any European power from gaining a toehold on Africa.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

Definitely one of the best time travel stories I have ever read, The Anubis Gates mixes SF, magic, literary history, Egyptian mythology and hermetic magic into a tale that is superbly plotted and rollickingly told.

Brendan Doyle, a literature professor and expert on the obscure 19th century poet William Ashbless is recruited by reclusive millionaire J. Cochran Darrow for a secret project, which turns out to be a jaunt back to 1810 to see Samuel Taylor Coleridge give a lecture, where Doyle fi4.5/5

Definitely one of the best time travel stories I have ever read, The Anubis Gates mixes SF, magic, literary history, Egyptian mythology and hermetic magic into a tale that is superbly plotted and rollickingly told.

Brendan Doyle, a literature professor and expert on the obscure 19th century poet William Ashbless is recruited by reclusive millionaire J. Cochran Darrow for a secret project, which turns out to be a jaunt back to 1810 to see Samuel Taylor Coleridge give a lecture, where Doyle finds himself stranded and involved in plots from all sides.

This is my first read of Tim Powers, and he writes character and action well and his plotting, as I said before, is top-notch - I'd love to see a timeline of the events laid out, in fact. The interactions between those who travel through time and the events that have already happened - either historical or within the story - mesh perfectly without ever seeming forced. The reader does sometimes see these coming, but not in a way that detracts from the enjoyment of reading.

One oddity is that there are points when you feel that this was a much longer book that has had chunks excised - mostly the jumps are unremarkable, but occasionally there is the feeling that the reader could have done with seeing what happened in the gap, such as when Doyle refers to his embarrassing interview in Fleet Street which happened, as it were, off camera.

Minor niggles aside, this is justifiably a part of the Fantasy Masterworks series....more

3.5 - I can see why this book made a splash in the 80s – it’s a fun, original time-travel story that was probably new and different at the time. However, the Fantasy /SciFi genres have developed quite a bit since then and currently there are works out there of a higher caliber.

Further, this book is billed as Steam Punk which didn’t seem to fit, if anything it’s very light steam punk – however while it really doesn’t fit into the contemporary definition, it may have been one of the earliest work3.5 - I can see why this book made a splash in the 80s – it’s a fun, original time-travel story that was probably new and different at the time. However, the Fantasy /SciFi genres have developed quite a bit since then and currently there are works out there of a higher caliber.

Further, this book is billed as Steam Punk which didn’t seem to fit, if anything it’s very light steam punk – however while it really doesn’t fit into the contemporary definition, it may have been one of the earliest works to have some of the aspects of the genre – i.e. English Victorian setting, mechanical aspects mixed with magic etc.

High points of this book are highly creative cast of characters, intriguing plot and quick pacing. My main criticism is that there is simply too much packed into one book. The author was over ambitious in the scope of the plot and should have simplified some plot aspects in order to spend more time developing the existing plot and characters – or made it two books - but this is my first Powers book and that may just be his style.

Overall, I enjoyed it and am glad I read it but I don’t think it’s an absolutely must read by any means....more

This book was billed as a classic 'Steam Punk' story that helped define the genre ... the only problem here was that there was NO steam [tech:] and there was little or no punk either. In fact, the only way it fits here would be to credit the time period as Victorian (IMHO a useless expansion of the term), before mixing in a tremendous amount of magic in what should be more honestly billed as a time-travel fantasy. That said … it WAS a pretty decent time-travel story :)

The story opens with a magiThis book was billed as a classic 'Steam Punk' story that helped define the genre ... the only problem here was that there was NO steam [tech:] and there was little or no punk either. In fact, the only way it fits here would be to credit the time period as Victorian (IMHO a useless expansion of the term), before mixing in a tremendous amount of magic in what should be more honestly billed as a time-travel fantasy. That said … it WAS a pretty decent time-travel story :)

The story opens with a magical spell gone wrong which tears holes [gates:] in the time-continuum which serves of the principle mechanism for the subsequent time-travel activities. Powers does a masterful job of weaving two intriguing plotlines … one from the future 20th century and one based in the host 19th century … both of which revolve around the protagonist, one Brendan Doyle, a mediocre 20th century scholar specializing in an obscure 19th century poet (whom he hopes to meet). Not long into the tale, Doyle becomes stranded in the past where he struggles to survive in the dark underworld of London beggars while avoiding capture by the local gypsies who fear he may upset their own schemes. Along the way we are introduced to a system of magic that is at once extremely limited when in connection with the earth and tremendously powerful (the ability to make a virtual army of homunculi, or ka’s, is really over the top IMHO). Stir in a body snatching werewolf, an Egyptian god or two, a secret society, a few elemental spirits, and the real story behind the Punch and Judy puppets for an entertaining mix of odds and ends that keep your interest as the mysteries unfold. The main problem with the story is that Powers touches so many things without really going into much detail … making it hard to leave any lasting impression....more

KristjanKevin wrote: "Who cares about a label given to any genre of book?

{In this case ... name ONE example from the story that highlighted technology at all,Kevin wrote: "Who cares about a label given to any genre of book?

{In this case ... name ONE example from the story that highlighted technology at all, much less alternate or fantastical technology. I don't b..."

I think it fairly obvious that I care :)

Nothing wrong with magic ... except that magic is not technology. In fact most people seem to put these points at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Darrow was tinkering with Science IN THE 20th Century. And he did not find magic through science ... science was used to explain a physical phenomena that was caused by magic (definition of magic by the way) and Darrow never USED that magic. He is simply a displaced 20th century character using 20th century science. Sorry ... that doesn't come anywhere close to what steam punk should be about. That is simply time travel. Nor is the use of mathematics even remotely close to science (it is a tool of some science, nothing more; it is also a tool of Roman merchants, who are most certainly not steam punkish).

Sure ... Punk can have many definitions ... except that the term is very specific in literature (not the street) as an "anti-the man" or anti-establishment kinda thing. I don't find much "anti" anything in this story. How it may be used on the street today has no bearing on the correct usage of the term....more
Oct 21, 2009 07:08PM

KevinI'm amused that labeling a genre of books moves you to the point of banter.

I stand by my claims.

I dont think you or anyone else can lay claim to whatI'm amused that labeling a genre of books moves you to the point of banter.

I stand by my claims.

I dont think you or anyone else can lay claim to what "STEAMPUNK" should be, you may have an opinion on what it should be but so do others. This may not be a perfect example of "Steampunk' but it does fit many of the categories.

I dont care when the science was used, but it was used, and propels the story forward. Your earlier claim was that this wasnt so, science had no part of this book, It was all magic,

And yes, science was the reason the holes were found.

Darrow may not have conjured magic but he did use the gate. So,if the gate isnt magic but science, then the science is used in 1810 as well. The gate is a study of time. Quantum Theory couldnt explain the holes so a new language had to be devised, part Euclidean geometry, part tensor calculus and part alchemical symbols. SCIENCE.

If you feel the study of time is not science, I would like to point you to a book written by Paul Davies, "About Time".

Darrow did find magic through science! He was transported to a place where magic is used freely.

You claim there isnt a counterculture portrayed in this book. The beggers battling over street turf prove your claim to be wrong. "Horrabins" group of beggers pitted against "Copenhagen Jacks".

I stand FIRMLY by my statements.

I have little more to say about this.

We could break the book down chapter by chapter if you like. Im just about finished with it, so it is very fresh in my mind.

The term "PUNK" is not specific in literature. The word is simply used at the writer discretion, as are all words with various definitions.

"STEAMPUNK" is nothing but a silly label attached to speculative fiction. The Same is said for various genre labels.

There is no correct usage of the word "Punk" as you claim. "Punk" happens to be a slang term.

What we have here is an inexperienced young man in 1810, so the definition fits.

Keep in mind the book was full of street punks begging and fighting over turf, so your definition works also. There is a strong counterculture here which goes against the grain of aristocracy.

The closer I examine the book, the better I am liking it. I was thinking 4 stars, now I'm not so sure. After sharing this bit of banter with you I feel I can write a strong paper about this book and the labels people attach to works of fiction.

PUNK DEFINITION:

PUNK: Slang. A young person, especially a member of a rebellious counterculture group.An inexperienced young man.Music. Punk rock.A punk rocker.

Slang. A young man who is the sexual partner of an older man.Archaic. A prostitute.[Origin unknown.:]

punker punk'er n.

punk2 (pŭngk) n.Dry decayed wood, used as tinder.Any of various substances that smolder when ignited, used to light fireworks.Chinese incense.adj. SlangOf poor quality; worthless.Weak in spirits or health....more
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Oct 22, 2009 01:35PM

Tim Powers wrote this historical time-travel fantasy in 1983 when it won the PKD award. If this sounds a bit strange, you've got to know that Philip K. Dick and Tim Powers were neighbors and good friends. But the novel is strange, anyways. It also appears in Gollancz' "Fantasy masterworks" as number 47.

It involves 3 time planes: 1983 (the year of writing) where the travel starts; the main part plays in London's 1810 where some Egyptian mages try to bring back magic and the worship of Egyptian goTim Powers wrote this historical time-travel fantasy in 1983 when it won the PKD award. If this sounds a bit strange, you've got to know that Philip K. Dick and Tim Powers were neighbors and good friends. But the novel is strange, anyways. It also appears in Gollancz' "Fantasy masterworks" as number 47.

It involves 3 time planes: 1983 (the year of writing) where the travel starts; the main part plays in London's 1810 where some Egyptian mages try to bring back magic and the worship of Egyptian gods and Muhamad Ali's Egypt; and the last one is a short excursion to 17th century London.

It involves magic based time-travels, Egyptian mythology, lots of real and pretended body switchings, a beggar society, magic clones and homunculi, and a puppet theatre.

The historical persons are similar to Power's later novel The Stress of Her Regard Romantic poets like Lord Byron, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the fictional poet William Ashbless. That one is a funny invention of Tim Powers - he even published poetry under this pen name and a biography.

And we can watch historical events like the slaughtering of the Mamluks in 1811 and James' failed rebellion in 1680. That's why I call it "historical fantasy".

In my opinion, it deserved the awards - it is a timeless piece of work, with colorful, lyricaland even elegant prose. It's setting and dark atmosphere reminds me a bit of Dickens or A.C. Doyle. But it is not only the setting, great characters and prose - it is also dense of action and sometimes bizarre inventiveness. And it made my mind spin with all of its turnings - though I have to admit that the last 20% were a bit over the board and convoluted. Maybe that it is also typical of Powers - either you love it or you hate it.

I enjoyed every second of this book. I haven't read a time travel book in a long time, but loved this one, as the descriptions of London in 1812 were very rich. I loved how Lord Byron and other famous poets were running around, and the descriptions of all the beggars were fascinating. Add in some ancient Egyptian magic and you've got a great book!

Random sidenote: It's interesting to think that back then poets were the rockstars of the age, as the only form of mass-media was newspapers, so thoseI enjoyed every second of this book. I haven't read a time travel book in a long time, but loved this one, as the descriptions of London in 1812 were very rich. I loved how Lord Byron and other famous poets were running around, and the descriptions of all the beggars were fascinating. Add in some ancient Egyptian magic and you've got a great book!

Random sidenote: It's interesting to think that back then poets were the rockstars of the age, as the only form of mass-media was newspapers, so those who mastered the written word could be broadcast much further than any musician or actor. How times have changed!...more

A weird, action-packed time travel story. I did enjoy it but I could never really become absorbed by the writing, and the ending isn't terribly satisfying.

The action scenes were well done - I was particularly impressed by an early chase scene. I liked Doyle, and some of his inner dialog was great. But none of the other characters were well fleshed-out, and whenever the author veered away from action or dialog I found myself beginning to skim paragraphs.

I can't decide if this novel should have beA weird, action-packed time travel story. I did enjoy it but I could never really become absorbed by the writing, and the ending isn't terribly satisfying.

The action scenes were well done - I was particularly impressed by an early chase scene. I liked Doyle, and some of his inner dialog was great. But none of the other characters were well fleshed-out, and whenever the author veered away from action or dialog I found myself beginning to skim paragraphs.

I can't decide if this novel should have been twice as long or if it should have been cut down to a novella....more

When millionaire J. Cochran Darrow finds The Anubis Gates that will make time travel possible, he quickly assembles a team to go back to 1801. He hires Professor Brendan Doyle to give advice about the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Soon a band of misfits are assembled and they are off on an early 19th century London adventure and throughout time.

If you think the plot sounds a little weird, then you are not the only one. I spent a lot of time wondering about the logic behind the locations and peopWhen millionaire J. Cochran Darrow finds The Anubis Gates that will make time travel possible, he quickly assembles a team to go back to 1801. He hires Professor Brendan Doyle to give advice about the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Soon a band of misfits are assembled and they are off on an early 19th century London adventure and throughout time.

If you think the plot sounds a little weird, then you are not the only one. I spent a lot of time wondering about the logic behind the locations and people within The Anubis Gates. This was the steampunk pick for the Literary Exploration book club and true to the group’s purpose; this book really challenged my reading choices. It was an interesting experience, I had no idea what to expect next and there was no way to predict anything.

The cast of characters was strange; I expected to like the book because Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Lord Byron were featured. Unfortunately they didn’t get enough development and that might be for the best but I was interested in finding out what Tim Powers would do with them. This book also featured an Egyptian wizard, werewolf, crazy clown and so much more.

What I found to be the biggest problem with this novel was the fact that Tim Powers took so many of his good ideas and tried to force it all into one novel. There was a lot going on and it was all over the place. There never was enough time to develop scenes or characters and it just felt like everything was condensed to make room for all his ideas. The concept was great, wacky and fun but the execution did not work for me.

Tim Powers is a well-respected fantasy author; his book On Stranger Tides (1987) was the inspiration behind the Monkey Island video games and also turned into the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film. The Anubis Gates is often considered one of the pioneer sin the steampunk genre (though I am not sure I would class it as steampunk) and also won the Philip K. Dick Award in 1983. Powers seems like an author that you either love or hate. However from my experience, 1980’s science fiction and fantasy are all a bit odd and unusual.

This is such an unusual novel, which makes it extremely difficult to explain and review. I wanted to enjoy this book but for the most part I found myself skimming the pages. There are great concepts and ideas going on in this but the author didn’t want to explore them instead attempting for a fast moving adventure. For me that just made things difficult. I am fascinated by people who love this book, I’d love to know the reasoning. If you love science fiction or fantasy novels, this might work for you; unfortunately it didn’t for me.

I sought this out for two reasons. First, I gathered that it had to do with time travel, a story device I have a reluctant fascination with. Second, I'm curious to find out about this Steampunk thing I keep hearing about, and this book consistently showed up on the "Top Steampunk Novels" lists the Google gave me.

If that second is the reason you're interested in this book, I should warn you: there were no dirigibles, or ladies in leather corsets, or sky-pirates with clockwork limbs, or any of thI sought this out for two reasons. First, I gathered that it had to do with time travel, a story device I have a reluctant fascination with. Second, I'm curious to find out about this Steampunk thing I keep hearing about, and this book consistently showed up on the "Top Steampunk Novels" lists the Google gave me.

If that second is the reason you're interested in this book, I should warn you: there were no dirigibles, or ladies in leather corsets, or sky-pirates with clockwork limbs, or any of the tropes I had been led to expect in Steampunk. So that was a mild disappointment. This is not really an alternate history, exactly, so much as a fantasy caper set in--but having little to do with--a historical time period. There is no anachronistic technology (though the lines between science and technology are as blurry as the bottom letters on the eye chart), and practically zero world-building. The author, it seems, is less interested in exploring how society works (or hypothetically might, in another universe) and more in seeing how many bizarre creatures and crazy twists he can throw at his paper-flat protagonist.

And when it comes to crazy bizarre twists, Tim Powers has quite a few up his sleeve. There are no cyborg ninja princesses, but there are eeeeevil twin sorcerers, a werewolf-serial-killer-body-snatcher, a creepy demented clown, an arch-villain with gravitational problems, bands of gypsy kidnappers and beggar mob bosses and twisted science-experiment rejects prowling the sewers.

With all of that, its astonishing how dull the book manages to be.

*Edit-- Oh, and I forgot: fire elementals! Called Yags (I think?)! They can read your mind (because spirits)! But they can't see you unless you're touching earth (because...I have no idea)! And if you take away their toy train they'll burn your house down!!!

...There's a lot of weirdness in this book. Nothing of any substance, but definitely weirdness. I think Tim Powers deserves kudos for creativity at any rate. Unless he took Coleridge's example to heart and tripped his way through the whole thing. That's always a possibility, but seems unlikely considering the distinct lack of meaningless, ecstatic revelations. This seems too prosaic and flat to be the product of that sort of inspiration.

I've just called a story about an evil magician who is working to re-establish the Egyptian Gods in Victorian England, apparently by brainwashing famous Romantic poets, and who as a side effect of his magic occasionally slips loose from his gravitational moorings--I've just called this dull, prosaic, and flat.

Terry Yeah, this one fell pretty flat for me. The Powers' book that really worked for me was Declare, I'd definitely recommend it if you like John le CarréYeah, this one fell pretty flat for me. The Powers' book that really worked for me was Declare, I'd definitely recommend it if you like John le Carré mixed with spooky supernatural horror....more
May 09, 2014 05:09AM

Cassandracool. maybe I'll look into it, but honestly the writing here left me so underwhelmed, I can't make any promises.
May 09, 2014 07:59PM

A decent idea, loved the Horrobin character, but the story was all over the place. This would have been much better if it spanned several books instead of trying to cram so much into so few pages. And while the beginning of the book dragged along, the ending was so hurried and abrupt that I lost my connection with the characters.

I loved loved loved all the time travel, the back and forth, and following the different characters across the ages to figure out how they all fit together.

My biggest hA decent idea, loved the Horrobin character, but the story was all over the place. This would have been much better if it spanned several books instead of trying to cram so much into so few pages. And while the beginning of the book dragged along, the ending was so hurried and abrupt that I lost my connection with the characters.

I loved loved loved all the time travel, the back and forth, and following the different characters across the ages to figure out how they all fit together.

My biggest hate of this novel was the weird obsession with poets. While I understand that the main character had this obsession and was deeply involved writing a biography of the poets, I don't care. This should have been glossed over a little more because it stood out too much in a book that already had too many plot points.

When I was about halfway through the book (the meatiest part, and my fave part of the book), someone at work asked me what the book was about. So I gave a 2 minute overview of the crazy deformed clown on stilts, his beggar minions, the time traveling, the obsession with dead poets, etc etc... and realized how incredibly insane the whole plot sounded. I'm glad I didn't know anything about this book before I picked it up, or I wouldn't have bothered reading it!

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but I don't regret reading it....more

The first thing to be aware is that the main character is not really special. He is not a capable romantic hero, nor is he an anti-hero type. Considering some of the things that happen in this book, I wouldn’t be surprised that this was a plan all along. He isn't supposed to be special at all. Now, if I haven't turned you back from reading this, great.

Although Brendan Doyle is just moving from one situation to the next, from one person to the next, hardly ever doing anything on his own, the restThe first thing to be aware is that the main character is not really special. He is not a capable romantic hero, nor is he an anti-hero type. Considering some of the things that happen in this book, I wouldn’t be surprised that this was a plan all along. He isn't supposed to be special at all. Now, if I haven't turned you back from reading this, great.

Although Brendan Doyle is just moving from one situation to the next, from one person to the next, hardly ever doing anything on his own, the rest of the story is great. The things just happen to him. There was just one instance when he took charge and that was near the end of the book. I was annoyed with Doyle at first, but that has to do more with the type of main characters I like to read about than him. I didn't think that a chubby, balding literature professor would work as a character in this type of book. I was wrong. So many things happen, so many wonderful and interesting characters appear, some with greater role than others, that even if Doyle is the type to whom things happen, this still ends up as a great story.

The Anubis Gate is a great blend of historical fiction, time travel, fantasy, horror and humour. The basis of the whole story is in the explanation of a powerful and rich man who called Doyle to offer him a job.

“Time,” he said solemnly, “is comparable to a river flowing under a layer of ice. It stretches us out like water weeds, from root to tip, from birth to death, curled around whatever rocks or snags happen to lie in our path; and no one can get out of the river because of the ice roof, and no one can turn back against the current for an instant.”

He offered an opportunity to stand outside that river. What follows is a wonderfully written time travel adventure with patriotic crazy Egyptian magicians, shape-switching monster, a few famous XIX century poets, a lot of beggars, a very brave young woman and one very reluctant hero.Humour jumps at you when you least expect it and at the most inappropriate times (people dying, someone is tortured and so on). A magician is summoning fire elementals:

"London? You asked us to do this once before." "The time is 1666, yes." Romany nodded. "But it wasn't me asking you then." ... "It was a pair of shoes. How should we distinguish?"

Or a couple of thugs' conversation after they were told that they caused a pandemonium.

“What’s a pandemonium?” whispered one of the men in the rear.“It’s like a calliope,” answered a companion. “I heard one played at the Harmony Fair last summer, when I went there to see my sister’s boy play his organ.”“His what?”“His organ.”“Lord. People pay money to see things like that?”

The XIX century London and Cairo come alive in this book. There is something for everyone. Even a bit of romance. ...more

This is a high octane story of a historian who travels back in time and becomes intimately aquainted with the very people and times that he was studying, and in ways which he did not quite expect.

I was gripped by this story from the beginning; you don't have to wait around for much preamble. The action begins almost straight away and the story develops at a break neck pace. At times it even felt rushed. So many events occur, so many characters are introduced that the author barely has time to doThis is a high octane story of a historian who travels back in time and becomes intimately aquainted with the very people and times that he was studying, and in ways which he did not quite expect.

I was gripped by this story from the beginning; you don't have to wait around for much preamble. The action begins almost straight away and the story develops at a break neck pace. At times it even felt rushed. So many events occur, so many characters are introduced that the author barely has time to do them justice. Having said that, towards the latter half of the book my enthusiasm began to wane and I began to feel it was a bit drawn out. I wanted it to wrap up sooner than it did. Perhaps another case of a book being both too short and too long.

The settings are well drawn and it does a good job of immersing you in early 19th century London. Powers weaves into the story the lives of both real and fictitious historical figures such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Lord Byron. It feels well researched although I have no idea as too how accurate it really is.

This is an ambitious work but I do not think it quite achieves the level of greatness it strives for. He tried to do too much in one book and consequently the pacing wasn't great and I found it eventually quite wearing. The suprises and twists in the story were too well telegraphed and I saw coming a mile off. That said, it was a good book and I look forward to reading something else by this author....more

MohammedHow is your interest for Powers after this ? You plan to read more ? This novel is so ovverated imo. Just because it won the award and it was early. HHow is your interest for Powers after this ? You plan to read more ? This novel is so ovverated imo. Just because it won the award and it was early. He can do similar stories much better....more
Mar 10, 2011 03:28AM

SimonWell, I definitely want to read "Drawing of the Dark" as it's also in the Masterworks. I liked the sound of it more than this to be honest but only piWell, I definitely want to read "Drawing of the Dark" as it's also in the Masterworks. I liked the sound of it more than this to be honest but only picked up this one as it was cheaper....more
Mar 10, 2011 03:58AM

MohammedSimon wrote: "Well, I definitely want to read "Drawing of the Dark" as it's also in the Masterworks. I liked the sound of it more than this to be honeSimon wrote: "Well, I definitely want to read "Drawing of the Dark" as it's also in the Masterworks. I liked the sound of it more than this to be honest but only picked up this one as it was cheaper."

Drawing of the Dark is still unmatched as my fav Tim Powers. Frankly i wish there were more smart,literary strong historical adventures like it.

Anubis Gate i havent finished and must force myself to do it soon before i can get his newest books....more
Mar 10, 2011 05:52AM

Timothy Thomas Powers is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Powers has won the World Fantasy Award twice for his critically acclaimed novels Last Call and Declare.

Most of Powers's novels are "secret histories": he uses actual, documented historical events featuring famous people, but shows another view of them in which occult or supernatural factors heavily influence the motivations aTimothy Thomas Powers is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Powers has won the World Fantasy Award twice for his critically acclaimed novels Last Call and Declare.

Most of Powers's novels are "secret histories": he uses actual, documented historical events featuring famous people, but shows another view of them in which occult or supernatural factors heavily influence the motivations and actions of the characters.

Powers was born in Buffalo, New York, and grew up in California, where his Roman Catholic family moved in 1959.

He studied English Literature at Cal State Fullerton, where he first met James Blaylock and K.W. Jeter, both of whom remained close friends and occasional collaborators; the trio have half-seriously referred to themselves as "steampunks" in contrast to the prevailing cyberpunk genre of the 1980s. Powers and Blaylock invented the poet William Ashbless while they were at Cal State Fullerton.

Powers's first major novel was The Drawing of the Dark (1979), but the novel that earned him wide praise was The Anubis Gates, which won the Philip K. Dick Award, and has since been published in many other languages.

Powers also teaches part-time in his role as Writer in Residence for the Orange County High School of the Arts where his friend, Blaylock, is Director of the Creative Writing Department. Powers and his wife, Serena, currently live in Muscoy, California. He has frequently served as a mentor author as part of the Clarion science fiction/fantasy writer's workshop.

“Thus Milton refines the question down to a matter of faith," said Coleridge, bringing the lecture to a close, "and a kind of faith more independent, autonomous - more truly strong, as a matter of fact - than the Puritans really sought. Faith, he tells us, is not an exotic bloom to be laboriously maintained by the exclusion of most aspects of the day to day world, nor a useful delusion to be supported by sophistries and half-truths like a child's belief in Father Christmas - not, in short, a prudently unregarded adherence to a constructed creed; but rather must be, if anything, a clear-eyed recognition of the patterns and tendencies, to be found in every piece of the world's fabric, which are the lineaments of God. This is why religion can only be advice and clarification, and cannot carry any spurs of enforcement - for only belief and behavior that is independently arrived at, and then chosen, can be praised or blamed. This being the case, it can be seen as a criminal abridgement of a person's rights willfully to keep him in ignorance of any facts - no piece can be judged inadmissible, for the more stones, both bright and dark, that are added to the mosaic, the clearer is our picture of God.”
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“The Spoonsize Boys steal the dollhouse toys while the cat by the fire is curled. Then away they floats in their eggshell boats, down the drains to their underground world.”
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